Iodine laser pumped by solar radiation

An analysis is made of the use of solar radiation in space to pump a cw gas-flow iodine laser emitting at 1.3 μ. It is shown that the high probability of dissociation of J₂ molecules by solar radiation at an iodide vapor pressure of 0.25–0.5 kPa when the degree of concentration of solar radiation is 100–200 removes the constraint on the maximum duration of irradiation of the laser iodide associated with quenching of J(²P_1/2) by J₂ molecules. In this case, the maximum duration of irradiation is governed by heating and pyrolysis. Numerical calculations and analytical estimates are used to analyze three variants of a solar-pumped iodine laser: using pure CF₃J iodide purified from J₂, using a CF₃J–(CF₃N)₂ mixture not purified from J₂, and using (CF₃)₃ CJ not purified from J₂. Problems of circulation, purification, cooling, and irradiation of the active gas are examined.